The dawn of the Zhengduo Era brought no warmth. The sky above Shanyin Village was metallic gray, a sign that the metallic energy in the atmosphere was unstable due to the war in the Central region.
On the hard court, Wang Haoran stood still. His eyes were closed. He did not meditate in a passive sense; he did Zhan Zhuang, standing like a tree. In the eyes of ordinary people, he was silent. However, towards the universe, Haoran made microscopic adjustments to each muscle fiber to align with the earth's gravity.
Tao is law. And the first law that Haoran obeyed this morning was Zhongding (Central Balance).
"Master, they are coming," the small voice of his disciple, Li Er, broke the silence. In the distance there was the roar of horses and the clatter of heavy armor. It was the Copper Banner Army of the Crimson Metal Sect, a faction that viewed the elements not as harmony, but as weapons of plunder.
Haoran opened his eyes. No anger there, just terrible clarity.
"Metal that is too stiff will break," Haoran muttered softly. He stepped forward. Every step does not raise dust. He moved his weight using the principles of the Earth Release with unwavering stability.
The squad leader, a big man wearing thick copper armor, laughed at the unarmed Haoran. "Hand over this village's energy crystals, or I will level this place with my Great Metal Cleaver technique!"
The man jumped, his greatsword cutting through the air with a sharp hissing sound. It was an attack capable of splitting boulders.
Haoran didn't dodge with useless jumping movements. He only shifted his left heel three degrees.
Quanfa : Wuxing Tiandao Quan – Water Phase (Adaptability).
The huge sword was only a hair away from Haoran's clothes. Haoran didn't reply with a heavy blow. He simply touched his palm to the side of the fast-moving sword.
Resonance.
Haoran took advantage of his opponent's momentum, channeling it back through the sword's molecular structure. In Taoist physics, this is the redirection of energy vectors. Without a sound of explosion, the copper sword suddenly cracked into thousands of pieces and shattered into pieces before it could hit the ground.
"What...?" The squad leader was stunned. His hands were numb.
"You imposed your will on Metal," Haoran said flatly. "Even though Metal should obey orders, not greed."
Haoran took another step forward. This time, he switched to Fire Phase (Transformation). However, no fire was burning. What happens is an instant increase in extreme temperature due to proper compression of the air.
One short blow is aimed at the opponent's chest protector. Cun Jin's strength is one inch.
BOOM.
The sound was not like a bomb explosion, but like the deep ringing of church bells. The copper armor did not break outwards, but curved inwards perfectly, following the shape of Haoran's fist. The shock wave penetrates the opponent's heart and nerves without damaging the outer skin.
The big man immediately fell. Not because of external injuries, but because her nervous system had been "reset" by the frequency of Haoran's punches.
The other troops trembled. They saw a man who didn't sweat, didn't scream, but had just broken the laws of mechanics they understood.
"Go home," Haoran said as he turned around. "The Earth does not wish to receive your blood today."
As he walked back to the center of the field, the raised dust slowly fell following the rhythm of his breathing. The first chapter of the Zhengduo Era had just begun, and Wang Haoran had just proven that the true rulers were not those with the greatest weapons, but rather those who walked closest to the Tao.